Rimmed shell restraint

ABSTRACT

A DEVICE REMOVABLY APPLICABLE TO THE RECEIVER OF A SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARM, AND MOVABLE THEREON BETWEEN A SHELL RESTRAINT POSITION AND A NON-RESTRAINT POSITION, AND HAVING A PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED IN THE RESTRAINT POSITION IN CLOSE PARALLEL PROXIMITY TO THE SHELL EJECTION SLOT OF SUCH A FIREARM, SO THAT SAID PORTION OBSTRUCTS A MARGINAL AREA OF THE EJECTION SLOT TO CO-ACT WITH THE LIP OR EDGE OF THE SLOT IN SAID MARGINAL AREA, TO ENGAGE THE RIM OF AN EJECTING SHELL AND INTERRUPT THE EJECTION OF SAID SHELL, AND FURTHER HAVING A SECTION OF SAID PORTION OFFSET, AND DISPOSED TO CLEAR SAID EJECTION SLOT TO AFFORD MANUAL EXTRACTION OF THE RESTRAINED SHELL.

Oct. 5, 1971 W, BERNQCCO, JR 3,609,900

RIMMED SHELL RESTRAINT Filed Aug. l1, 1969 TTR/VEY fUnted States Patent O 3,609,900 RIMMED SHELL RESTRAINT William Bernocco, Jr., 3555 Parker, Dearborn, Mich. 48124 Filed Aug. 11, 1969, Ser. No. 856,241 Int. Cl. F41c 27/ 00 U.S. Cl. 42-1 R 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A device removably applicable to the receiver of a semiautomatic firearm, and movable thereon between a shell restraint position and a non-restraint position, and having a portion thereof disposed in the restraint position in close parallel proximity to the shell ejection slot of such a firearm, so that said portion obstructs a marginal area of the ejection slot to oo-act with the lip or edge of the slot in said marginal area, to engage the rim of an ejecting shell and interrupt the ejection of said shell, and further having a section of said portion offset, and disposed to clear said ejection slot to afford manual extraction of the restrained shell.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention lies in the area of devices for interrupting the automatic ejection of shells from semi-automatic firearms.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The prior art includes a variety of devices for catching and retaining shells after ejection from the receiver of a rearm. However, only two such prior devices seem intended to restrain ejection of a shell for its subsequent manual extraction, and these constructions are permanently mounted upon the firearm and involve a more complicated and expensive construction than the instant device, and require modification of the firearm.

SUMMARY AND OBJECT OF INVENTION Invention resides in the unique unitary construction which affords removable attachment of the device externally of the receiver of a firearm, whereon it may be moved alternatively between a restraint position in which the shell restraint portion obstructs a marginal area of the ejection slot as aforesaid, or a non-restraint position, clearing the slot of said obstruction so that the firearm may be used as a semi-automatic firearm without removing the device from the receiver completely.

An object of vthe invention is to provide an easily removable, unitary, inexpensively manufactured restraint to interrupt individual shells in the process of ejection, and capture said shells for manual extraction from a receiver,

A further object of the invention is to provide a shell restraint which closely embraces the receiver of a firearm to avoid the hazard implicit in protruding parts on said firearm.

Still a further object is to provide a shell restraint requiring no moving parts to restrain an ejected shell, to avoid the safety hazard implicit in parts moving externally of the firearm.

A further object is to provide a shell restraint which can be readily transferred from one firearm of suitable dimensions to another.

The object of the invention is attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevationaL'partial view of a firearm with the restraint device attached thereto in the restraint position.

FIG. 2 is a vertical, sectional view through the receiver of said rifle on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing in dash line a shell engaged by the device and restrained from com plete ejection from said receiver.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2., showing the device displaced from the restraint position to the non-restraint position so that the firearm may be used as a semiautomatic.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shell restraining device itself.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational, partial view of a firearm with a modification of the restraint disposed to interrupt the ejection of shells.

FIG. 6 is a vertical, elevational, sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, showing in dash line a shell restrained from complete ejection.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, but illustrates the device displaced on the receiver from the restraint position to the non-restraint position so that the firearm may be used as a semi-automatic.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the modification of the device itself.

In these views the reference numeral 1 designates generally a firearm having a stock 2 and a receiver 3, formed with an ejection slot `4. Said firearm further has a barrel 5, and a forearm 6. Rearwardly of the receiver 3 a trigger guard 7 encloses a trigger 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, a shell restraint 9 is applied to the receiver. The shell restraint is formed with spaced legs 10 having their lower end portions 11 bent at substantially right angles to said legs and terminating in upwardly directed lugs 112.

The legs 10 upwardly terminate in arcuately bent portions 13 joined by a span 14. Said span is formed with a shell-engaging portion 15 which is disposed to obstruct a marginal area along the upper edge of the ejection slot 4. The portion 15 alone is effective as a restraint. However, the span may be further formed with an upward offset 16 to afford the manual removal of captured shells. By extending the span in this manner, the increased spacing of the legs 10 affords greater stabilty of the device in either position due to increased frictional engagement of the span.

Shown in dash line and identified by the letter A is a shell formed with a rim B. It is to be noted that in coaction with the lower edge of the ejection slot, the shellengaging portion 15 has captured the shell A by the rim B and retains it in a position to afford manually sliding the shell forward in the slot to extract the rimmed end thereof from the receiver.

With the firearm set to fire single shots, the discharge of the gun results in the ejection of the spent shell A, which normally would hurtle through the ejection slot 4 for a considerable distance from the firearm. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, ejection of the shell is interrupted and the shell is captured for manual removal.

Should it be desired to use the firearm as a semi-automatic the user need only slide the span 14 upwardly against the fiat surface of the receiver immediately above the upper edge of the ejection slot 4, so that the shell-engaging portion 15 is in the non-restraint position.

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of the construction, and again there is disclosed a firearm 21 having a stock 22 and a receiver 23, formed with an ejection slot 24. Too, the firearm has a barrel 25 and a forearm 26. Rearwardly of the receiver 23 is disposed the trigger guard 2-7 enclosing the trigger 28.

Applied to the firearm in the restraint position is a shell restraint 29 formed with two spaced-apart U-shaped members 30 having the ends of corresponding legs thereof conjoined by a span 31. As shown in FIG. 5, a shellengaging portion 32 of the span is disposed to obstruct a marginal portion along the lower edge of the ejection slot 24, and said span is further formed with a downwardly offset section 33. As is true of the above described embodiment, the shell engaging portion alone can be effective, but addition of the downwardly offset portion affords greater spacing of the legs which stabilizes the device on the firearm against dislodgernent from either position. Further shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is a shell A (in dash line) interrupted in the process of ejection by the engagement of the rim B with the aforesaid shell-engaging portion 32 of the span 31, and with the upper edge of the ejection slot 24. Here again the captured shell may be slid forwardly and extracted from the receiver in the area of the downward ofset 33.

If it is desired to use the Ifirearm as a semi-automatic, the user need only slide the span 31 downwardly so that the shell-engaging portion 32 is in a non-restraint position. The modification of the restraint 29` has arcuate, tensioning indents 34 formed in the free standing legs of the aforesaid U-shaped portions 30. The indents 34, of course, have the effect of increasing the frictional engagement of the said indents against the wall of the receiver by forcing the legs outwardly from said wall.

The disclosed device is so formed, and is so disposed upon a firearm, that additional shells may be loaded into the receiver from either side or from the bottom of the receiver. It is of course proposed to make the restraint of a wire or similar material having sufficient resilient flexibility to enable the restraint to be easily applied and retained upon a firearm, and as easily removed therefrom.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a 'firearm having a receiver formed with a shell ejection slot, and having a shell ejection mechanism, of a shell restraint for rimmed shells, removably mountable on the receiver, and including a shell engaging portion formed on said restraint and disposable to obstruct a marginal portion of the ejection slot to interrupt ejection of a shell and capture the rim of a shell between said shell engaging portion and the opposite unobstructed marginal portion of said ejection slot, and

retaining means formed on said restraint and tensioned to frictionally resist removal of said restraint from the receiver and to afford movement of said restraint between a shell restraint position and a non-restraint position upon said receiver.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, including a CII shell-releasing section formed adjacent to said shell-engaging portion to afford extraction of a captured shell from the receiver.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1, said restraint being formed and tensioned to frictionally, yieldably resist dislodgernent from either position.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 2', said restraint being formed and tensioned to frictionally, yieldably resist dislodgernent from either position.

5. The combination with a rearm having a receiver formed with a shell ejection slot, and having a shell ejection mechanism, of a shell restraint for rimmed shells, removably mountable upon the receiver, and including spaced legs,

an end portion of each said leg being formed to engage a wall of the receiver,

a span conjoining the opposite ends of said legs,

a shell-engaging portion formed on said span and disposable to obstruct a marginal portion of the ejection slot and interrupt the ejection of a shell by capturing said shell by its rim, and

retaining means formed on said legs to frictionally resist removal of said restraint from the receiver and to afford movement of said restraint between a shellrestraint position and a non-restraint position upon said receiver.

`6. The combination as set forth in claim 5, including a shell-releasing section formed on said span adjacent to said shell-engaging portion to aord extraction of a captured shell from the receiver in said restraint position.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 6, said restraint frictionally, yieldably resisting dislodgernent from either position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,087,387 4/1963 Browning 89-33.4 3,270,617 9/1966: Seymour et al 42-1 R BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner C. T. JORDAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 89-33 F 

